Dartmouth High juniors Serena Turner and Hanna Rabstejnek were two of 144 students from throughout Massachusetts to attend a two-day art workshop at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

The 29th year of Art All-State paired two artist mentors with a group of 16-18 students, totaling eight groups in all. The groups toured museums, galleries, sculptures, and libraries in New Bedford for inspiration before having to design and build their own installation at the College of Visual & Performing Arts building.

“The idea is for students to be looking at art and making art,” said artist mentor C.M. Judge.

The theme of the workshop was titled "Limits: No Limits."

The artist mentors pick two materials for the group—such as fabric, branches, cardboard, and plastic—but are also given a third surprise element, like 3D glasses, shoes, and swatches.

“This is completely student-generated,” said Judge. Students develop the concept, decide how they will divide the space, and define what they wish to communicate to the audience, she said.

“The first thing I noticed and I wanted the rest of the group to notice is contrast,” said Turner about the inspiration pieces by Albert Bierstadt.

The installation she worked on—titled “A Walk in the Canopy”—incorporated swatches, burlap, and wood to create a walkway through a suspended tree sculpture.

“Deep colors and deep passion can be developed by an endearing sense of adventure. We wanted to reward people for going through,” said Turner, explaining the warm colors and encouraging messages that hang inside the tree’s cavern and contrast against the light wood and burlap exterior.

Rabstejnek’s piece incorporated hanging fabrics for a broken and chaotic walkthrough.

“We got inspiration from the Whaling Museum and the skeletons there. We had the idea of being vulnerable and what it means to get close to someone,” said Rabstejnek. The hanging panels depict the five stages of grief, she said, and some of them have cut-out windows so the audience can engage with different viewpoints.

Toward the back of the “Journey to the Heart” exhibit, a red heart hangs in an open space over a cage made with branches, while the sound of a heart beating echoes between the blackened walls.

“This basically frames different people, but everyone has an actual heart within them, no matter who they are,” said Rabstejnek.

“It’s really amazing to see how the students work together,” said one of Rabstejnek’s artist mentors, Elizabeth Dooher.

It’s no easy task to get 17 students who don’t know each other to share and execute a common vision, she explained.

“The goal is to get the most collaborative group of students here and willing to work together,” said Morgan Bozarth, a second-year Art All-State volunteer and Dartmouth High unified arts teacher.

State-wide, high schools nominate two of their best art students each year. From there, the juniors must provide an essay, two teacher recommendations, and three art samples. Interviews help whittle the candidate pool down even further. The chosen students then attend the overnight session at UMass, she explained.

“It’s definitely worth all the time and effort to go through the application process,” said Rabstejnek.

The exhibits were open to the public for a 90-minute session on June 11. Event organizers held an award ceremony for the students, who then tore down their installations and filled up the 40 recycling bins provided.